Heya, Marc here. Just wanted to say thank you for the support in this fic! I like to think I've improved since I made these chapters, so if you stick around you'll start to see some better and longer chapters. Or you could just go to AO3 and read the more updated version there. That works too.
Mettle allowed Yang to hyper-focus on a goal. Of course, the semblance's idea of hyper-focusing was removing all emotions except maybe grim satisfaction, (was that even an emotion?) but there was no doubt it was useful. Being able to make split-second decisions under pressure was a great skill any professional huntsman and huntress would have, and a first year already having that skill is a great advantage over their peers. Being basically invisible to Grimm is a plus too, as having no emotions means no negativity for the Grimm to prey on.
So when Weiss heard that Yang's plan to kill the Nevermore was holding it still and throwing Ruby at it, she was understandably doubtful the blonde was still under it's influence.
"That's incredibly reckless!" Weiss says to Yang, whose face was still impossible to discern any emotion she may be hiding. "Has your semblance driven you insane?! You-"
"Do you have a better idea?" Yang interrupts, not annoyed, but a genuine question. At Weiss's silence, she continued. "I've thought so. Perhaps we can find a better strategy, but that's time we do not have. The only reason we have had time to needlessly argue about this is because Ruby and Blake have been distracting the Nevermore." Grey eyes bore into blue, the latter a piercing glare and the former a dispassionate stare. "We do need your help." Yang admits. "Eliminating the Nevermore would be much harder without keeping it grounded. Now you can continue arguing, or we could work together as a team."
Weiss looked about ready to continue arguing, then sighs, admitting defeat. "How is it even without your inane blathering, you're still incredibly annoying?"
Yang turns, finished with the conversation. "I don't aim to be annoying." She answers. "I aim to be efficient."
"It was rethorical..."
Blake had been skeptical of Yang's plan, and was expecting Ruby to be as well. So she was surprised when Ruby just nodded and said she'll play her part.
"I trust Yang. Kinda." Ruby says when the Nevermore didn't immediately attack, giving them time to breathe. "I trust her semblance. It's a bit creepy and makes Yang mean, but it always make the right decisions." Blake had the feeling she would have said more, but the Grimm had circled back. Blake leaps away, leaving Ruby to do her part of the plan.
And Ruby does. She shoots at the Grimm using Crescent Rose, drawing it to her until it gets close enough for her to use her scythe on, stabbing and holding on to steer the Nevermore into the cliff.
Ruby lets go before it actually hit the cliff, using her semblance to get down safely. As she landed, the Nevermore rose up, preparing to take flight- before it's tail feathers get frozen to the ground by Weiss, grounding it.
Meanwhile, Yang and Blake make an impromptu slingshot using Gambol Shroud's whip and two nearby pillars. Ruby then jumps into the slingshot, using her scythe as a foothold as Weiss uses her Glyphs to draw Ruby back.
"I can't believe this was your sister's grand strategy." Weiss comments, aiming Ruby to the Grimm's neck.
"Did you have any better ideas?" Ruby asks, smirking.
"Hmph." Instead of answering, Weiss releases her Glyphs, launching Ruby at the beast's neck. Using the momentum, and speeding up her acceleration by firing Crescent Rose behind her to use the recoil to her advantage, she slams her blade into it's neck, sending them both to the cliff.
Yang however, squints. The first expression's she made that wasn't a disinterested stare. The momentum of launching what is basically a high-speed blade should have decapitated it. "Weiss-"
"Already on it." Weiss interrupts, raising her sword and creating glyphs along the cliff wall. "You're not the only person here that can make a plan."
Using her semblance and the Glyphs, Ruby runs up the cliff, using the momentum of the speed and the blade under the Nevermore's head to decapitate the oversized bird at the top of the cliff.
For a moment, as the headless Grimm's body fell from the cliff and into the abyss, it seemed that everything paused as the girls caught their breath.
"Well..." Blake and Weiss turn behind them, looking at Yang. "That was a thing, huh?" Says the now lilac-eyed blonde.
"Jaune Arc. Nora Valkyrie. Pyrrha Nikos. Lie Ren." Ozpin announces to the auditorium, full of students. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren stood before Ozpin himself. "The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR. Led by... Jaune Arc." Ozpin smiled. "Congratulations, young man."
Arc has shown some promise to be a leader, although his ability in combat is on the level of Junior's goons. It was best you weren't partnered with him, nevermind on the same team.
Yang, once again, only half-listened to Mettle. She wished the semblance itself had an off button, but the only way she could shut it up was by breaking her aura, and she wasn't desperate enough to start banging her head on a wall just yet.
Besides, her teammates would stop her. Speaking of teammates...
"Yang Xiao-Long. Blake Belladonna. Weiss Schnee. Ruby Rose." The four of them step up to the stage.
It's satisfactory to have those three as your teammates. Ruby is a prodigy. Blake's skilled and Weiss has problems, but her semblance is quite versatile.
Yang rolled her eyes at her semblance's analysis. Leave it to Mettle to state the obvious sometimes. It wasn't always analysing everything she sees, but it was still an annoying aspect of her semblance to deal with.
"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team LBSR"
Lobster? The fish? Crustacean? Whatever. Pretty weird name, but there wasn't many other choices.
Wait. The only one out of the four of you with the L. Initial is you. Which means-
"Led by Yang Xiao-Long." Ozpin finishes.
"What?!" Weiss shrieks, shocked.
"Ahhh! Good job sis!" Ruby grins, dashing to her surprised sister and hugging her.
"You did lead us back at Initiation." Blake says, a small smile on her face.
Mostly thanks to Mettle. Ozpin no doubt knows your semblance, and must see you as a potential leader. Mettle supplies, ever observant.
Yang stood stock-still for a few moments, still absorbing all this information. "... Huh."
Well. This is shaping up to be an interesting year.